My Voice Reaches New Heights with the Sennheiser MD 435 Stage Mic

A microphone you can “hear” that allows you to step up to the next level.

Koizumi: Today I would like to interview you about the SENNHEISER MD 435. Could you give us your first impression of the product?

Shinano: I always borrow microphones from the studio, but this was the first time I used my own microphone. There are many narrative parts in my songs, and the narration sounded very clear. I realized that I had not been able to sing properly until now. I realized how much a microphone can change a song. It made me think, “Let’s do this!…” (lol).

SENNHEISER / MD 435 Dynamic Microphone

Koizumi: I see (haha). You can also feel the difference between the sound you expect and the sound that comes out on the recording. You become better at it, but you realized this during rehearsals and live performances.

Shinano: The more I sang, the more I realized that I had to practice harder. I could tell during singing where the pitch was off. It let me know that I sounded bad and this is how it sounds. I could understand everything by myself, so I thought I would get better if I used the studio mic from rehearsal.

Koizumi：There was a big difference from the studio microphones you usually use.

Shinano: Yes, there was. Especially at the hook, I could hear the chorus really soaring, especially in the parts where the pitch goes higher. It sounded very different and sounded like how I wanted it to sound like this.

< Practicing in the studio >

Until now, there were many things that I didn't understand even when the members pointed them out at rehearsals. I thought I was doing well. Now that I have the MD 435, I can hear it myself. I thought, “Oh, so this is how it sounds! I'm sorry!” (laughs). I want to keep practicing so that I can catch up with this microphone.

Koizumi: It's great to be able to recognize your own mistakes.

Shinano: I had an image that singing with a good microphone would sound good or sound better. But it wasn't like that at all (laughs). (Laughs) It was the microphone that made me realize how immature I was. It's not so much that it sounds good; it's that it's a microphone that you can become good with.

Koizumi: Did it sound beautiful both when you were narrating and when you were singing?

Shinano: Yes, both. The narration part is filled with a lot of words, and I was pleasantly surprised at how well I could hear those details. The words I wanted to hear were heard clearly. It feels like it takes a short time to reach my ears.

The feeling of having one's voice heard improves their performance.

Koizumi: I heard that you have been using the system since rehearsals, but how was it during the live performance?

Shinano: The way you hear the audience at a live performance is different before and after the audience enters the venue. I thought there was little difference, or rather, no irregularity. Whether there is an audience or not, the sound comes through to my ears.

Koizumi: Do you mean that the sound reaches you in any environment, whether it is a live performance or in the studio, with or without an audience?

Shinano: With a conventional microphone, it was sometimes difficult to hear when guitars or other instruments were playing. I felt that I couldn't hear my own voice, and probably no one else could either. But in live performances, I often do things with a lot of energy.

< Shinano-san discussing his impression at a live concert >

But with MD 435, I felt that the audience was able to hear the song properly. I was singing the words that I wanted to convey, and I felt that the audience was able to pick up each word and deliver it to me. When you feel like you are reaching the audience, it makes them feel good about themselves. It's like, “I can hear, it's fine!”

Koizumi: I guess it’s a microphone that can be used in any situation, from rehearsals to live performances. How about the sound quality of the lower part of the microphone?

Shinano: I thought the low part sounded really resonant. When I open my throat and sing with a lot of passion, the sound sometimes gets muffled. But with the MD 435, I felt like I could open my throat a lot. The low notes sound good (laughs).

Koizumi: The high notes reveal my mistakes, but the low notes sound good (laughs).

Shinano: If the low voice sounds muffled, I can't hear them, and when bass or drums come in, I can't hear them, so I have to make more noise and then my throat closes up, which is a vicious cycle.

Koizumi: You can pick up the low voice even if you don't work that hard.

Shinano: Yes, the low voice is very pleasant when played loud like in a live music club. I don't know how to describe it, but it feels like it's hitting my eardrums (laughs). It felt like the air was shaking and my ear drums were pounding. Not all of them, but there are times when the dusky bass that I want to produce and the sound that comes back from the monitors are exactly the same. That's what makes me feel good.

Koizumi: Maybe it suits your voice. Do you use ear monitors or monitor speakers most often at live performances?

Shinano: I have never used ear monitors.

Koizumi: So, you can hear both high and low tones well even though you are using speakers back there?

Shinano: That's right. If I used ear monitors, I would be able to hear even better.

Easy-to-handle hand microphones with little change in distance

Koizumi: Since this is a handheld microphone for live performances, what is your impression of its weight and texture when you hold it?

Shinano: I thought it was quite heavy. However, it was not as heavy as I would have liked. Also, personally, I wanted it to have more of a punch (laughs).

Koizumi: The looks, you mean (laughs). How did you feel about the usability and handling of the other hand microphones?

Shinano: I often use it on a stand. With a hand mic, the distance from the mic changes. Especially since I move around a lot, it’s always difficult to find the right distance. But the MD 435 was easy to use because the distance did not change so much.

Koizumi: Do you mean that the nuance does not change a lot even if you change the distance while singing?

Shinano: Yes, I thought that it was easy to adjust.

< MD 435 easy to handle >

Koizumi: I got the impression that you are using the MD 435 quite well. Do you have any tips on how to use this microphone well?

Shinano: When I am very loud, I just move away a little bit. I have a loud voice. With other microphones, if I get too close, it comes out too loud, so I have to soften my voice. It's the same with the MD 435, but it picks up my low voice well, so it was easier to adjust than with other microphones.

Koizumi: How much is a little bit?

Shinano: Well, I don't know how much, just a little (laughs). I have an image when I sing, and I sing into the microphone as if I am pulling a string and stretching it. When the sound is loud, I move away from the microphone as if I am stretching the string. But with other microphones, the string breaks. I thought my technique was just not good enough, but with the MD 435, I could do it. It is a microphone that allows me to sing the way I envisioned.

Koizumi: For whom would you recommend the MD 435?

Shinano: I would recommend it to those who want to deliver words properly and deliver a passionate message. I think it’s perfect for people who want to sing up close to the audience one by one. I am the kind of girl who thinks only about words and delivering passionate messages and neglects her technique (laughs).

Koizumi: I think there are many singers who want to be like you.

Shinano: Do you think there are any? I shouldn't because I’ll have a hard time (laughs).

Koizumi: Thank you very much for today. I am looking forward to your live performance.

Shinano: Thank you very much, it was fun!

< Shinano-san, whose smile was charming from beginning to end >

Following Yae Shinano, we spoke with Okumura-san, the engineer in charge of Yae Shinano's rehearsals and live operations.

High-grade dynamic microphone with high density and informational content

Koizumi: Mr. Okumura, you recommended the MD 435 to Shinano-san. Please share more details on this.

Okumura: I found the MD 435 in an advertisement on an overseas website before it was released in Japan. I was very curious about it and immediately contacted the company. The model name starts with the number 4. I am of the MD 421 generation, so I was very curious about the specifications, price, etc., since it was the first SENNHEISER microphone starting with a number 4.

Koizumi: You are very well informed! So you got it right away and tried using it.

Okumura: I was very happy when I received it. I thought it would be a good fit for Shino-san, who is in charge of the project, so I recommended it to her.

Koizumi: What was your impression when you first heard the sound?

Okumura: I thought it was very informative. It sounded packed and dense. The microphone itself is close to the diaphragm and the diaphragm is quite large. This may have had some influence on the sound.

Koizumi: The grille is certainly distinctive.

< Mr. Okumura focused on the distance to the diaphragm >

Okumura: With on-mic, it only takes a little bit of distance to make a difference. I got the impression that the slightest change in distance is exquisite and well crafted.

Koizumi: Sennheiser is a long-established manufacturer of microphones, and they have a wide range of microphones, from dynamic to condenser mics.

Okumura: Condenser microphones can have a clear sound quality, even if they are covered. In a large venue, it is sometimes useful to include that, but in a small, harsh venue such as a live music club, there is too much information from the condenser microphone. For example, if there is a drummer right behind you. In such a case, I think dynamic microphones are the way to go. Then there are times when the roughness of a dynamic microphone comes alive in the sound just right. In those situations, I often use dynamic microphones.

A sound that does not blend in with the band's sound, in a good sense, and does not get buried.

Koizumi: Directionality is important for live use. What is your impression of the MD 435's directional characteristics?

Okumura: I tried both the MD 435 and MD 445, and my impression was that both were predictable and unidirectional. It's not that they have any quirks, but they seem to pick up where we want to aim. They are easy to use because I can control it myself.

Koizumi: Was there anything worth mentioning when you actually used it on stage?

Okumura: I thought there were few points of feedback. There is a lot of information in the sound, but I can create monitors with a lot of information. It’s a microphone that makes it easy to create monitor sound. You don't have to turn it down so much to get a good sound.

Koizumi: When you say it has a lot of information, you don't just mean that it is packed with sound.

Okumura: Monitors are often asked to be turned up, but Shinano asked me to turn them down because she could hear it well enough. It sounds good because there is a lot of information, and there is no feedback. It was easy to create.

Koizumi: That is a great feature for a PA. I think the frequency response is from the bottom to the top, but what do you think about the sound distribution?

Okumura: It is a beautiful sound with no unpleasant parts. And it has guts. It is as if the vocals are smoothly inserted into the band's sound. It's not so much that it's easy to blend in, but rather that it doesn't blend in and the vocals are not buried.

Its high potential makes you want to develop more ways to use it.

Koizumi: After listening to the sound, what kind of vocalist do you think the MD 435 would suit?

Okumura: I would recommend it to people who use the e 935. The sound is different, but the density is so dense that I think it would be a good step up from the e 935. You can't slack off, though, because you can hear everything (laughs).

Koizumi: Shinano-san also mentioned that (laughs).

Okumura: If you are using a studio microphone and feel that it doesn't flow well or doesn't feel right, I would like you to try it. I think it will open you up to new possibilities. It seems to be a good microphone for artists to buy for themselves, but is there a possibility that PA operators will also choose it?

Okumura: Of course there is. The MD 445 is even closer to the diaphragm than the MD 435, so if you use it for vocals, you have to make sure the LCF is properly adjusted or you will get a lot of pop noise that will be as prominent as a kick. So I'm thinking it could be used for beatboxers. I also think it could be used on a guitar amp when you want rich lows.

Koizumi: It has a lot of potential, so I guess I'd like to have one to start with.

Okumura: Yes, even the MD 421 was initially designed for a different purpose, but we use it for toms, kicks, etc. I feel the MD 445 has that kind of potential, and I think it is a good mic to have in stock, not just one or two, but ten at a time.

Koizumi: Any microphone that allows you to conjure up new uses is a good microphone, and it will be fun to find new ways to use the MD 435 and MD 445. Thank you very much for your help.

Okumura: Thank you very much.

< Mr. Okumura happily discussing the potential of the new microphones >

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